Shocking video footage has captured the moment a man was shot in the head with a crossbow at point-blank range – and yet miraculously survived.

In the clip, which was released by Hampshire Police, taxi driver Maricel Melinte was seen walking into a back garden before taking aim at the unsuspecting victim, in is 30s, who was known to him.

The 47-year-old thug shot the man with a crossbow bolt in the head but when that failed to kill his target, he continued to attack.

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In the series of 'incomprehensible actions', he picked up a nearby hammer to try to finish the job.

But the victim managed to fight off his assailant and escaped from Melinte's house in Southampton.

He collapsed in a nearby alleyway on Winchester Road.

Moments later, police arrested Melinte in the back garden as well as seizing the crossbow and a broken bolt shaft.

Both men were taken to hospital.

The victim's CT scans showed that the crossbow bolt was lodged in the victim’s skull and had gone into his brain

Doctors placed him into an induced coma for two weeks and reportedly didn't expect him to survive.

However, neurosurgeons at Southampton General Hospital carried out a complicated and lengthy operation to remove the bolt – which was a success.

He has only been left with difficulties controlling his left eye and right elbow.

After regaining consciousness the victim revealed he had unwittingly filmed the incident on his camera, which had been placed on top of Melinte’s shed to record a time-lapse video.

On Friday (February 10, 2023), Melinte was jailed for 18 years after being found guilty of attempted murder for the attack on September 26, 2021 at Winchester Crown Court.

Following the sentencing, the officer in charge of the case, DI Howard Broadribb from Western Investigations said: "The fact that this man survived such an ordeal is quite simply a miracle; the bolt was millimetres away from killing him.

"I can only be thankful that it stopped where it did so he was able to give us his account of what happened that afternoon.

"Although thankfully he is still with us, his life has been changed forever in the space of a few seconds due to Melinte’s incomprehensible actions. I would like to commend his bravery throughout the court process.

"We may never know why Melinte decided to commit this awful act, but thanks to the hard work of the investigators and the footage obtained from the camera, he will be spending a long time behind bars for this terrifying attack.

"We take all instances of serious violence incredibly seriously and in this case, we used all the resources at our disposal to make sure the victim got the justice he deserved."

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